Date: 2008-04-09 15:24 Subject: There Will Be WTF?! Security: Public

I finally decided to get around to posting my thoughts about a couple of my favorite movies from last year, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. If you are a fan of epic cinematography, incredible acting, and stories and characters that explore just how dark the human soul can be, then each of these movies have a lot to offer.

See for me, it isn't ghost stories or horror movies that disturb me. True evil, in my opinion, exists in the hearts of men. Men who are nothing more than flesh and blood, yet who leave behind almost any trace of their humanity in the pursuit of their goals. True evil lives among us, yet is beyond the average person's comprehension.

That is what these movies play on, and that is why both of them are excellent if a bit difficult to watch.

If my comments on each seem a little thin, it is only because I hate giving away spoilers and because the trailers say a lot for themselves.

No Country for Old Men


No Country for Old Men is a phenominal story about what happens when normal people find themselves thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) comes across a deal gone wrong in the desert, including two million dollars. Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is trying to restore order, and bring safety and sanity back to his small Texas town. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is the man that neither of them is prepared for, a freelance mercenary hired to recover the money at all costs. At. All. Costs.

It is no surprise why this movie won Best Picture, Best Director (Coen Brothers) and Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem). It is ruthless, beautiful and intense. It is just one of those movies that makes you sit on the edge of your seat when you are watching it, and that sticks with you for weeks after.


There Will Be Blood


First off, Daniel Day-Lewis is insane. I don't mean his characters. I mean HE is insane. No other actor I know of throws himself as fully into his roles as he does, and it shows on screen. There are any number of people who can play a role, but Daniel Day-Lewis becomes these people. It is incredible and intimidating to watch. This is probably a lot of the reason he completely carries this odd picture from beginning to end, and why we won Best Actor for his role as Daniel Plainview, ruthless prospector turned oil tycoon.

And I mean Ruthless, in every sense of the word and with a capital "R". How someone can be as charismatic as Plainfield is, and yet be so full of pure hatred and not have an ounce of humanity in them is what makes this movie incredible. Set in a time period spaning from the 1880s forward to the 1920s, it a remarkable movie filled with stunning images and set to chilling music that help compliment Lewis' acting. There Will Be Blood is a documentary of greed, cunning and evil showing just how far one man is willing to go to quench his thirst for power and money.



Both of these movies are filled with moments that make you just stare in amazement or recoil in revulsion. I would highly recommend watching both movies if you are even slightly curious or interested. They are each very good movies. Just don't watch them back to back.